Memorial Sloan Kettering Announces New Awards and Appointments

NEW YORK CITY, February 19, 2021 — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announces the following awards and appointments:
 

Three MSK Experts Named to New Class of American Academy of Microbiology Fellows

Esther Babady, PhD, D(ABMM), FIDSA, Clinical Microbiology Service Director; Kenneth Marians, PhD, Founding Dean of the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; and Tobias Hohl, MD, PhD, Chief, Infectious Disease Service, were named to the newest class of American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) Fellows. Fellows of the AAM, an honorific leadership group within the American Society of Microbiology, are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Currently, there are over 2,500 Fellows in the Academy representing all subspecialties of the microbial sciences and involved in basic and applied research, teaching, public health, industry, and government service.

Carol Brown Named to Crain’s New York Business Notable Black Leaders and Executives List

Carol Brown, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer, was named to Crain’s New York Business’ Notable Black Leaders and Executives list. The list recognizes Black men and women who have impacted New York City in major ways and celebrates their professional, civic, and philanthropic achievements.

Julia Ramirez Awarded a 2020 Empire Whole Health Hero Award

Julia Ramirez, MA, Director of Patient Relations, was named a 2020 Empire Whole Health Hero. The purpose of this inaugural award is to honor health care, essential workers, and business leaders whose commitment to the safety and wellness of New Yorkers made a true difference during the current health crisis.

Tuomas Tammela Named a Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Emerging Leader

Tuomas Tammela, MD, PhD, cancer biologist, was named a Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (MFCR) 2021 Emerging Leader. Dr. Tammela was selected for his project called, “Impact of Aging on Lung Tumorigenesis.” MFCR awarded seven grants to promising early-career scientists for projects aimed at addressing unmet needs in cancer research. The Emerging Leader Award program empowers early-career investigators to take on innovative, high-risk, high-reward projects that have significant potential to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Christian Bjerre Real Named a 2021 American College of Psychiatrists Laughlin Fellow

Christian Bjerre Real, MD, was named an American College of Psychiatrists Laughlin Fellow. Laughlin Fellows are chosen annually from an elite pool of applicants deemed likely to make a significant contribution to the field of psychiatry. Dr. Bjerre Real’s research interests include psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in cancer patients, characteristics of COVID-19 delirium in critically ill cancer patients, and the utilization of deep learning algorithms for the prediction of delirium.

Elizabeth V. Wasmuth Receives MOSAIC Scholars Award

Elizabeth V. Wasmuth, PhD, a research scholar in The Charles Sawyers Lab, received a National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) MOSAIC Scholars Award, as part of the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers K99/R00 program.

MOSAIC facilitates the transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds into independent faculty careers at research-intensive institutions. The program provides scholars with up to 5 years of mentored career development and research support. Additionally, each scholar becomes part of a cohort-based career development program to expand their professional networks and gain additional skills and mentoring through programs administered by MOSAIC UE5 awardees: the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society for Cell Biology, and the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Sigrid Carlsson Awarded Prevent Cancer Foundation Research Grant

​Sigrid Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH, Assistant Attending Epidemiologist, is a recipient of a 2021 Prevent Cancer Foundation Research Grant. The foundation awards research grants and fellowships to promising early career scientists with novel hypotheses for prevention and early detection.

Dr. Carlsson’s research, “Improving prostate cancer screening using innovative technology,” focuses on developing an innovative computer technology to help primary care physicians screen for prostate cancer. The study’s aim is to test the usefulness of this computerized decision support tool in a large primary care network.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Medical Physics Team Named Finalist for International Award

A team from Memorial Sloan Kettering was recently named a finalist for a Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Advanced Analytics, Operations Research and Management Science by INFORMS, the leading international association for operations research and analytics professionals. Led by Joseph O. Deasy, PhD, Chair, Department of Medical Physics, the group was recognized for developing and applying advanced optimization tools resulting in a greatly improved radiotherapy treatment planning process. These automated techniques have provided treatments for more than 3,000 MSK patients to-date and are expected to ultimately impact patient care more broadly.

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About Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK)

As the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center, Memorial Sloan Kettering has devoted more than 135 years to exceptional patient care, influential educational programs and innovative research to discover more effective strategies to prevent, control and, ultimately, cure cancer. MSK is home to more than 20,000 physicians, scientists, nurses and staff united by a relentless dedication to conquering cancer. Today, we are one of 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, with state-of-the-art science and technology supporting groundbreaking clinical studies, personalized treatment, and compassionate care for our patients. We also train the next generation of clinical and scientific leaders in oncology through our continually evolving educational programs, here and around the world. Year after year, we are ranked among the top two cancer hospitals in the country, consistently recognized for our expertise in adult and pediatric oncology specialties.  www.mskcc.org.